John Byrne

Recent Articles

Leaders of Chicago’s police union kicked off an emotionally charged City Council meeting Wednesday by telling Mayor Rahm Emanuel he had turned his back on them. Just outside the chamber, another 40 off-duty police officers stood with their backs turned to more than 100 protesters who opposed the...

A fight over a controversial West Side police academy brought an abrupt end to Wednesday’s City Council meeting, as Mayor Rahm Emanuel ordered aldermen to return for a vote Friday. Groups of young protesters have spoken out against the proposed academy for months. On Wednesday, aldermen were set...

Legislation that would affect Chicago’s finances would be required to undergo deeper scrutiny before the City Council could vote on it, under a proposal headed to the full council for consideration Wednesday. The Council Office of Financial Analysis would be tasked with conducting the financial...

Northwest Side Ald. John Arena, an avowed Cubs fan, recently enjoyed a perk plenty of people looking for game-day parking in the crowded Wrigleyville area would covet — a free spot in a Police Department lot just blocks from the ballpark. Police let Arena park there before the May 11 game between...

A group of protesters disrupted a state housing agency’s meeting on Friday over what they called an unjust decision to not award tax credits to a controversial Northwest Side affordable housing development. Two members of the group calling itself Neighbors for Affordable Housing in Jefferson Park...

A controversial Northwest Side affordable housing plan failed again this week to qualify for state tax credits, imperiling a project that has sparked a heated debate over whether opponents are trying to keep minority residents out of the Jefferson Park neighborhood. The 75-unit building planned...

A team of Chicago police officers will be among the new sights greeting visitors at the downtown riverwalk this summer as the city tries to make sure tourists feel safe in the increasingly popular waterfront party zone. Six cops will be added to patrol from 2 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily. The increased...

With Chicago’s police union calling on its members to pack next week’s City Council meeting to protest officer punishments under Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the mayor said Wednesday he’s playing it “down the middle of the fairway” when it comes to groups on opposite sides of the police reform issue. Emanuel...